Scholarship camp preparing future Cowboys

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The youngest Toyota Cowboys are getting a taste of big-time rugby league by spending a week at Cowboys HQ in the 2013 scholarship camp.

The 45 North Queensland scholarship holders, aged between 14 and 16, will live and breathe rugby league for five days, including having the chance to meet up with new head coach Paul Green and chat with NRL squad members Gavin Cooper and Glenn Hall.

The young footballers are in the first stages of their development in the Cowboys system which hopefully will see them progress into the NYC under-20s squad when they finish school and then become NRL players.

Thirteen 2013 scholarship holders have stepped up to North Queenslands NYC under-20s squad for 2014.

By the end of the week, this years scholarship holders will have had on-field time with NRL assistant coaches Terry Matterson and David Furner, as well as weights/fitness training and tuition with the Cowboys high performance unit, led by Paul Bowman.

There are also sessions on the importance of nutrition, careers and study choices and understanding social media.

They will watch the NRL squad train on Thursday before warming up with the under-20s squad ahead of their session.

The scholarship holders are predominantly from North and Central Queensland and take part in monthly academy sessions in their home region conducted by player development manager Dean Payne.

This camp is a reward for the boys who have put in a year of hard work on and off the field, Payne said.

They enjoy what we offer up for them even though it is a very busy schedule.

Its also a great chance for everyone we have on scholarship to come together, meet each other and make friends from areas outside their own.

If they make it through to the NYC squad, they will already know their teammates and staff, making the transition much easier.